The Most Dangerous Highways in America

I remember years ago when I did a lot of running for WalMart and I was constantly trucking my way up to Bentonville, Arkansas. Once I left I-40 and hit highway 71 North, you always knew you were in for a ride! Veteran truckers will know what I am talking about. That little two lane highway tested nearly every skill a driver had. It has been a long time, but the best I can recall, is that you were met with a big sign that stated, “75 people killed on this road. . .” or something along those lines, and once you were in the middle of highway 71 . . . you knew they were telling the truth. Finally, I-540 was built and I, along with many other truckers, said goodbye to highway seventy one!

This memory recently got me wondering about which highways were now deemed the most dangerous in the United States. I know there are many that could fit the list, but through a great deal of research, I found the highways that seem to be those roads that are considered the ten most dangeroushighways in America:

1. Colorado 550 from Ouray to Silverton

Very treacherous, S-curve winding road which takes you through three San Juan Mountain passes. During late Fall, thousands of wildlife migration takes place, putting many animals crossing the drivers’ path. On top of this . . . during the Winter season, it is also exactly in the path of a major avalanche zone.

2. Los Angeles 101 to I-405 Interchange

This interchange in L.A. connects the East side of the city with the downtown. Considered one of the busiest and most dangerous roads in the U.S. and has the highest travel time index rating in the nation.

3. Atlanta’s I-285 at I-85 Interchange

Given a grade of “F” by the American Highway Users Alliance, Atlanta, Georgia’s I-285 is well known by all truckers as being a living nightmare a great deal of the time.

4. San Diego, I-5

Being lured to cross the border for Mexico’s lower drinking age, thousands of College students and other minors makes this highway a DUI landmine. In San Diego County alone, thousands are arrested each and every year along I-5 for DUI violations.

5. Maine 1

With most of Maine’s rural roads having poor road signs, sharp curves and devastating winters, veteran truckers also know about their large moose population. Out of all the rural roads in the country, Maine has the highest fatality rate of any other state. I know you may be in a big rig, but trust me . . . you do not want to tangle with one of Maine’s massive animals!

6. New York, I-95, Cross-Bronx Expressway

One of the worst traffic bottlenecks in the nation. As part of the I-95 corridor flowing in and out of NYC, every kind of vehicle goes down it every single day. Some of the most densely populated portions of the country, it is also home of potholes and missing in many shoulders and travel signs.

7. Nevada I-15

Although a very popular route through the desert to Las Vegas, 173 people lost their lives with the main cause being speeding . What should be a very simple travel area, the 125 miles of desert highway which takes the driver up to a gradual climb to a 4,000 foot pass laying Southeast of Las Vegas . . . seems to beckon speed.

8. Providence, Rhode Island, I-95 at the I-195 Interchange

Short on and off ramps and sharp curves lead to both accidents and traffic jams. Considered one of the worst bottleneck areas in the country.

9. Louisiana, I-10

Having always been a rough highway anyway, Louisiana roads were damaged even more with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Although most damage has been repaired, other problems are still needing fixing. Problems such as water damage and a great deal of potholes. To make matters worse, now the pavement is more likely to buckle as the damaged soil underneath shifts.

10. Chicago, Circle Interchange

This well known interchange is nothing more than a mess of complex single lanes and circular on-ramps that were not built to handle huge volumes of highway traffic. During rush hour traffic, it is known for moving at an average speed of a whopping 11 MPH.

By: Allen Smith

Allen Smith is a 37 year veteran who started at an early age in a household goods family moving business. He began driving straight trucks in 1977 and moved to the big rigs in 1982.
His experience within the industry includes; owner operator, company driver, operations manager, and owner of a long distance HHG moving business, taking many of the long haul moves himself when needed.
Allen Smith, a truck driver advocate who is driven by the desire to help others succeed within an industry where injustice, unrewarded sacrifice, and lack of respect and recognition exists.
Allen and his wife Donna are hosts of Truth About Trucking ”Live” on Blog Talk Radio. Other websites include AskTheTrucker, TruckingSocialMedia, NorthAmericanTruckingALerts, TruthAboutTrucking, and many Social Media websites.
In 2011 Allen and Donna hosted the first Truck Driver Social Media Convention, designed to create unity and solutions for the trucking industry. This is now being extended through the North American Trucking Alerts network as those within the industry join forces for the betterment of the industry.
Allen strongly supports other industry advocates who are also stepping up to the plate to help those who share honesty, guidance and direction. He believes that all those involved in trucking need to be accountable for their part within the industry, including drivers, carriers, brokers, shippers, receivers, etc…
The list of supporters and likeminded people grow daily, networking together and sharing thoughts and ideas for the betterment of trucking. He has coined the popular phrase "Raising the standards of the trucking industry"